B r e a t h
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: Pre to Sasuke x Itachi fight to the death  -author's version-  ; You take the breath right out of me. You left a hole where my heart should be. You got to fight just to make it through, 'cause I will be the death of you. Please R&R! Song-fic.


**a/n: I couldn't resist writing another oneshot about Sasuke and Itachi, simply because I love them so much! XD So please don't be surprised about the future amount of them, because they may become a dominating pair, in both the brotherly sense, and perhaps even in the incest-ish way; it all depends on my mood. Also, you might notice that 'Breaking Benjamin' will be my inspiration; well, that's because their lyrics really reach out to me and compliment these two! XD I FUCKING LOVE THEM! Anyways, enjoy! (:**

**NOTE: This is slightly song-fic-ish, so please don't let this bother you! If you don't like, don't read.**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! Nor do I own any of the songs I use, such as **_**'Breath' **_**by **Breaking Benjamin**. That is all.**

* * *

_**Dedication**__: _

**To Sasuke-kun and Itachi-kun; you two are the reason I still keep on breathing, which is ironic, looking at the title of this fic. I LOVE YOU BOTH! XD**

* * *

_**S**_u_m_**m**a_**r**_y_: Pre to Sasuke x Itachi fight to the death (author's version); _

_You take the breath right out of me. You left a hole where my heart should be. You got to fight just to make it through, 'cause I will be the death of you._

* * *

**S**a_s_**u**k**_e_**l_u_**v**a **4**e_v_**_a_ **pr**e**s_e**n**_t_s_;

_B r e a t h_

_Sasuke x Itachi Oneshot_

* * *

_I see nothing in your eyes, and the more I see the less I like.  
._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke gazed stolidly at the reflection that Itachi cast on the water, watching for any impending movements; it looked as if he were emotionally detached, completely devoid of any and all life and light—and all of this he could read simply by gazing into his eyes, whether indirectly or otherwise.

It seemed that even after all of these years, nothing had changed about his cold demeanour; he was still as indifferent and apathetic to Sasuke's existence and worth as he had been eight years ago, and even when they last encountered a meagre three years prior to this day—he still thought little of the younger Uchiha's power.

He still mocked him.

As he always had.

And that thought alone only led to fuelling Sasuke's rage all the more; it wouldn't be long before he killed the bastard that destroyed his family, his bonds—the very people that had given his life any real meaning.

But what Sasuke saw before him was more than just a little unnerving; the sheer amount of calculating malice that floated haphazardly through the fathomless pits of Itachi's onyx orbs was enough to make Sasuke feel uneasy, something that he indeed hadn't been expecting.

This was the day where he was supposed to defeat the one person that he had ties with, the one bond that he desperately wanted to sever, at all costs; after all, he had sacrificed everything he had ever wanted, needed, in order to have achieved the power to make his ambition come true—he had left behind his surrogate 'family' in order to annihilate this monstrosity of a human being.

But that look in Itachi's eyes...

* * *

_Is it over yet, in my head?_

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Just when Sasuke thought he had Itachi cornered, he dispersed into hundreds of black crows, the fluttering of their raven wings against the densely thick humidity not comforting in the slightest; not even the cool that their incessant flapping provided Sasuke could cool down his brewing anger with the situation.

_'Genjutsu!'_

* * *

_I know nothing of your kind, and I won't reveal your evil mind._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke could never be compared to Itachi, nor could he ever understand what had motivated him into doing something so insanely sociopathic, inhumane; he had killed off an _entire race_ of people, with the simple intention of testing his capacity, the extent of his powers—Sasuke knew that that was something that he could have never have done, not to anyone.

That just wasn't conceivable; to put someone through so much, to make them endure hell like he had... that just didn't seem right.

To hurt another without any real purpose.

Without mercy or remorse.

Worst of all, to slaughter your own family without even shedding a _single_ tear.

* * *

_Is it over yet? I can't win._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke exhaled sharply, his breaths ragged as the illusion dispelled; fucking genjutsu!

It seemed that either Itachi had no real tricks (which Sasuke knew was a lie) up his sleeve, hadn't learnt anything new (which was highly unlikely, seeing as he had instigated this day from the very beginning) since the last time they had encountered, or was just toying with him until he had the upper hand, and knew when Sasuke would let down his guard; he couldn't afford to get cocky, nor could he let down his perceptiveness—he had to stay focused.

_This was it._

* * *

_So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Itachi skilfully evaded another one of Sasuke's Katon jutsus', smirking triumphantly as he landed a successful kick to his stomach, sending him flying through the Uchiha meeting place; fuck it all!

Why couldn't he land a hit on him?

Sasuke was starting to lose his composure, his temper bordering the no return point; that would not solve anything though, and he knew that.

Itachi was only trying to rile him up. And as much as Sasuke wanted to rip out his trachea through his throat, he withheld his murderous urges, and instead thought of a more militant approach.

Why couldn't he just surrender and make this easier?

He _knew_, no, they _both_ knew that the older of the pair was going to fall today; it was all written in the stars.

Once Itachi had fallen...

Sasuke would gain whatever recognition he could being the avenger of his fallen comrades, clan, _family_—he would be the one to pick up the pieces.

* * *

_I know that I can find the fire in your eyes.  
I'm going all the way, get away, please._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke was beginning to feel reluctant; there were moments when Itachi would look at him in such a way... in such a vindictively _familiar_ way that it had his blood boiling with fury.

There was a strength, a fire, that Sasuke hadn't seen in his elder sibling since he was eight years old; a fire that he had reserved explicitly for him.

That same brotherly fondness—_affection_—that Sasuke had been so avid to obtain and juice out of Itachi in his youth; the same fire that had burned in Itachi's very soul only _because of him_.

But those feelings quickly dispersed when Itachi's expression became blank and unreadable, a faint smirk twitching at his thin lips as he propelled himself through the air, dodging the lunge that Sasuke had made with his katana; Sasuke was going to finish this, complete the act.

Even if his gut instinct was telling him to beg for Itachi to leave this fight, _alive_.

* * *

_You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke shuddered and convulsed when he felt the grinding, heavy punch to his stomach that Itachi had just dealt him, leaving him winded, and slightly nauseous; I guess the saying was true—you really _could_ take the breath out of somebody.

What a sardonically ironic quotation; Sasuke almost found it amusing, had he not been desperately trying to regain his ability to breathe in air whilst sporadically bouncing around the collapsed ruins, evading Itachi's taijutsu based attacks.

As Sasuke went to use another Katon jutsu, however, that same fleeting look of despondent sorrow flitted across Itachi's face, more prominently noticeable in his eyes (ironic how the eyes are the portal to a person's heart and soul), causing Sasuke to freeze involuntarily; no matter what he did, Sasuke couldn't ignore it any longer.

Itachi had done something unforgiveable.

Not only had he destroyed their family as they had known it, and broken his promise to Sasuke (in some ways; Sasuke hadn't realised that it was a play on words), but he had left a hollow hole in the raven haired teen's chest, where his heart used to be; he did still have a heart of course, but it was one that only held the capacity to _hate_, not _love_.

He was a broken tool. And it was all this man's fault.

There was no way to avoid it any longer; Itachi had to fight, it was the only way.

It was the only way that Sasuke could completely extinguish his hatred, the only way he could learn how to love again; he had to release himself of his burden in order to successfully move on.

He—_both_ of them—_had_ to fight.

And Itachi _had_ to lose.

Because Sasuke was going to be the death of him; it was a fair trade after all.

It was a fair trade because Itachi had _already_ killed Sasuke, in every possible way.

They would fight.

And one of them was to draw in their final breath on this very day.

One of their lives would draw to a sudden end.

* * *

_This will be all over soon._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Soon... soon their fight would end... they were both drawing near... taking in what could very well be their last breath... they savoured it, the feeling of being alive... because they knew that one of them was going to die today.

_'And it's going to be you!'_

* * *

_Pour salt into the open wound._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Itachi would never let Sasuke forget that day, the day his heart stopped beating.

"Mangekyo sharingan!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

* * *

_Is it over yet? Let me in._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

The pain seemed never-ending; not the physical pain.

That had dulled down a long time ago, until it was nothing more than a meagre tickle.

The pain that Sasuke was so painfully trying to endure seemed to be prolonging itself, as if it was the only thing keeping him alive, within the realms of sanity; it was already painfully clear that Itachi was not in the same state of mind, shown through his insane ramblings about stealing Sasuke's light.

Then again, when had he ever been sane? He _had_ slaughtered his entire family—_their_ family.

Sasuke could have endured _any_ physical inflictions; just not this, not the mental and emotional trauma—he had _barely_ survived the last several occasions where the Mangekyo sharingan had been used against him and his mind, and he didn't think that he could take much more of witnessing his loved one dropping dead, cold and lifeless, to the ground, never to move again.

Never to inhale another breath.

At this point...

Sasuke was almost willing to be taken into the kind embrace of the Lord.

_'Let me in... take me away...'_

* * *

_You take the breath right out of me.  
You left a hole where my heart should be.  
You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke inhaled; this was possibly his last breath.

And he was lucky to have even had that.

Knowing Itachi and his mannerisms, he preferred to end things quickly when it came to fighting; his supposed 'pacifist code'.

What was remotely 'pacifistic' about him anyway?

That gaping hole in his chest... it was bleeding.

Not literally, but metaphorically.

Sasuke had died inside.

Now all he needed was to die completely, and he would be set free of the hellish constraints of living.

But there was a faint sliver behind his lids, a flash of blonde, pink and silver, just as Itachi had raised Sasuke's katana to finish him off; to end his life.

Without needing much more convincing, Sasuke used his lightning fast speed to evade the sharp, meticulous jab, instead letting his survival instincts take over; he wasn't ready to die, not yet.

He still had to see _them_ one last time...

He _had_ to fight to survive.

Because not only was he fighting to end his years of turmoil and struggle... but now he was fighting because he had a _reason_ to keep on living.

And he wouldn't give up until one of them was finally dead.

* * *

_I'm waiting, I'm praying, realise, start hating._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Itachi stood there, blood gushing from some of his more major wounds, whereas for some the bleeding it had been staunched by dried blood; at least the congealed substance had _some_ use after it was shed.

He stumbled toward Sasuke, his eyes blank, dull, _glassy_ even as he gazed straight ahead, seeing nothing but eternal darkness; he had foreseen this outcome, and had played it over and over in his head—and every time it had brought a small, sad smile to his lips.

Sasuke would _never_ know the _truth_ of the matter.

He _couldn't_ know.

Because he was still Itachi's foolish little brother, naive, somewhat. But hardly innocent anymore; that had been unrightfully stolen from him in his youth, and could never be returned.

But what Itachi had to offer was _so_ much more; not only was he giving him a new life, a new beginning, but he was releasing him of his hatred, so that he could one day move forward and have the normal life that he had planned out for him; Itachi was simply biding his time, waiting for the day when his life was cut to an untimely end.

He had prayed for it, and had prayed for Sasuke's triumph, his victory, because he could no longer face life anymore; he couldn't live with the bloodstains of his loved ones on his hands.

But most of all, he couldn't live with the fact that he had hurt his most precious person, stolen his right to innocence, forced him to hate and grow up, throwing the responsibility that was naturally for the older brother onto his shoulders; for burdening him with everything that _he_ was supposed to have provided for _him_.

And with that realisation fuelling his judgement... Itachi began his journey to new levels of self-loathing... and his journey into the afterlife.

Although that thought was enough to bring the faintest of smiles to the allegedly stoic Uchiha's dirt/blood marred face, going unnoticed by Sasuke in all the time it remained there.

* * *

_You take the breath right out of me._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Itachi drew in his final breath, still smiling at the stunned Sasuke even as all the life drained from his figure, exhaling like the breath he should have released along with it; his heart stopped—his lifeless corpse tumbled to the ground with no more than a _'thud!'_ being emitted.

There was no rise or fall of his chest to signify his breathing.

Sasuke had done it.

He had killed Itachi.

* * *

_You left a hole where my heart should be._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

Sasuke's heart stopped; it just couldn't be... Itachi had been... _innocent_...?

In the aftermath of it all, Sasuke realised that Itachi had _not_ left a hole in his heart; the raven haired teen had created it himself, through hating and destroying the one person he had loved more than anything else.

* * *

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

_You got to fight just to make it through,  
'cause I will be the death of you._

_._

_.._

_..._

_..._

_.._

_._

* * *

_***~*Owarimashita*~***_

* * *

**a/n: Ah-HA! Two fics in one night! What more can ya ask for? XD **

**Although this kind of made me sad... looking at it from that perspective... TT^TT**

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I hope you guys liked this! Please review guys!

They make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, even though I'm emo and allegedly shouldn't feel this way (we are human beings too you know)! (:

Until next time then!

Ja ne! x)

*-Sasukeluva 4eva out-*


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